The Ministry of Emergencies
by PursuitofDarkness
Summary: Individuals with an unknown magical affliction are found and sent to Saint Mungo but they cannot handle the situation and send them to be quarantined inside the Department of Mysteries while the Ministry itself gets evacuated in expectancy. On arrival, they trigger the emergency quarantine procedures of the Ministry, never used before in the entire history of magic. A SHORT STORY


"What?!"

"We're having them transported this way as we speak"

"And what in the name of Merlin are we supposed to do with them, Arik?"

The man approached the desk, placing both hands on the spotless wooden surface, watching the Minister straight in the eyes. He didn't know what to tell him but tried to seem confident.

"Sir, Saint Mungo's director has assured me there is nothing else they can do for them down there. These individuals are a risk to public safety and their state is uncontainable. Saint Mungo has lost a few good doctors due to this incident already. The Department is our only option right now"

"And you have no idea what's happening to them? Have the Aurors open an investigation?"

"We've had our best people on it and after talking with the head Unspeakable we've concluded the emergency containment cells in the Department of Mysteries are all we have at our disposal"

"Arik.. have you considered.. ending them?"

"I'm sad to say we have, sir. Unfortunately, we were unable to cary out the deed"

"Unable?"

"We tried a number of times without any result"

"I officially authorise you, Head Auror, for the use of the Unforgivable Curses for emergency situations as allowed by the Magical Law through ministerial order"

"Sir.. we've tried"

The minister stared blankly as if through the man in front of him, in deep thought.

"I don't want anyone to cross with the transport as they pass through the Ministry on their way to the Department of Mysteries. Make sure of that, now!"

"Understood… and sir?"

"Yes, Arik, what now?"

"I suggest making preparations for the worst"

The minister nodded in astonishment and slowly turned his head towards the empty stone wall on the right side of his office as his guest left the room. He stood up talking to himself

"I thought I'll never have to use this"

Kingsley Shacklebolt touched the tip of his wand to one of the dark bricks.

"When they told me about it I even believed it was some kind of joke meant to scare me after being appointed Minister"

Less than twenty minutes later more than thirty Aurors apparated in the Ministry's arrival area alongside ten hospital stretchers all covered with a glowing white illuminessence made out of pure wards protecting them from what was resting there. Parts of the white covers turned into different colours from time to time signifying burst of magic kicking from within.

The Aurors saw a clear way ahead to the elevators as people were passing at a few meters away from them, evacuating. Ministry employees kept people off the path designated for them to follow.

"All nonessential personal must evacuate the Ministry building. Please head towards the nearest available elevator. This is not a test. Emergency code Theta."

This phrase kept repeating on and on by a general female voice in the background. It was obvious it could be heard everywhere in the Ministry but judging by the huge crowd trying to evacuate they hadn't managed to get even one tenth of them out.

Another burst of energy came from two of the beds, generating a blast wave which knocked out a few of the other stretchers and pushed the Aurors into the crowd.

"We have to hurry. They've got elevators waiting for us on stand by. Two Aurors per bed. GO!"

After receiving their instructions, execution began. After two of the elevators nearly crashed due to other unexpected explosions of magic, all the stretchers arrived on Level 9, the Department of Mysteries.

"We've been expecting you"

Chills went down everyones spines as an Unspeakable, a person who is usually never seen speaking to anyone else than other Unspeakables, greeted them as soon as they had exited the elevators in a purply robe.

"This way, quickly"

"Arik… good news this time, I hope"

"More or less, sir. The patients have made it to Level 9. We've received news that they are being contained as we speak"

"We might have just dodged the bullet then?"

"Perhaps it's too early to tell"

The minister got up, turned around and looked through the windows of his office at the rest of the Ministry and downwards to the fountain in front of the main entrance. He noticed something strange as he did so and before he was able to ask, a scream pierced the air, a woman to which many others joined shortly after.

Arik ran to the window, desperately trying to make out what was happening. He stood there just as shocked as the minister. The water from the fountain was floating upwards as if in zero gravity and it seemed to redden as well. Shortly it united into one thin jet of water linking the bottom of the Ministry to the ceiling where it turned into bloody thick rain which already began staining the minister's office windows.

The two men stepped back, as if afraid to be touched by the liquid. The screams continued and the sound of people running intensified.

Suddenly, the lights in the main hall shut off completely, rendering those in the office blind to what was happening outside. The screaming, any sound what so ever really, ceased as well. Like a black mist was covering them, the windows were pitch black.

Arik looked at the minister. The leader in front of him seemed to watch him as if expecting him to say everything is going to be ok. But Arik only turned his head at the blank wall next to the office and the minister nodded and paced to the wall.

"Apertum sigillum"

"Final security disengagement procedure acknowledged. Requiring confirmation"

The same female voice which until earlier was giving the evacuation call spoke from around the office.

Arik approached the the wall himself and provided his credentials.

"ARIK MMLA 66, confirmation through magical signature sample"

He sent a small energy ball he formed using his wand to a glowing stone in the wall.

"Final safety lock disengaged. Beta protocol in stand by"

"Incipere"

The voice spoke again but to the entirety of the ministry this time.

"WARNING! Beta protocol in effect. Emergency wide quarantine procedure commencing."

The lights in the office went off as well and purple ones turned on. To their awe, the ones in the main hall went on as well but they couldn't make out anything from the bottom floor in the purple light. The fountain blood flow seemed to have ceased alongside with any movement what so ever.

"Sir.."

As more purple lights went on and on, starting with their floor and going down until the bottom one, Arik was able to distinguish dark shapes at the bottom floor.

"They are all.."

The minister felt sick to the core.

"Dead"

Arik finished. Kingsley supported himself by leaning on the glass window, breathing heavily. He could still see the wall from the corner of his right eye and ran to it.

"ALPHA"

Female voice: "DANGER! ALPHA PROTOCOL ON STAND BY - if activated, this console will no longer accept commands from within the building"

"Incipere"

Female voice: "ALPHA PROTOCOL IN EFFECT! Initiating dimensional quarantines. Level 1 quarantined"

"Sir.. what is a dimensional quarantine?"

The minister looked back at Arik.

"Last line of defence.. every minister is told about this but memories are wiped at the end of our reign, including knowledge of this entire system."

Female voice: "Level 2 quarantined"

"From what I know it isolates every level of the ministry in a dimensional bubble, in the hope that in emergencies the dimensions cannot interact with one another"

Female voice: "Level 3 quarantined"

"Shouldn't we get out of here?"

Shacklebolt laughed.

"You don't know the Alpha-Beta quarantine procedures do you? I suppose not many are told"

"Sir?"

"Since activating the Beta protocol we've been locked inside along with anyone else.. still alive"

Female voice: "Level 4 quarantined"

"Once Alpha is online there's no escape, supposedly. There's no way to end the quarantine from inside here now. Only from outside."

Female voice: "Level 5 quarantined"

"From all I know all kinds of illegal magic are used to power these wards from outside of the Ministry so they cannot be tempered with by whatever is held within"

Arik crashed to the floor, obviously scared, his face whitening by the second, visible even in the purple lit room.

"My kids.. my wife.. we HAVE TO get out of her! There must be a way"

Female voice: "Level 6 quarantined"

"That's the Department of Magical Transportation" the minister noted.

"We haven't even evacuated that far"

Female voice: "Level 7 quarantined"

"They will be safe. And you'll get back to your family as will I to mine, Arik! Get a hold of yourself"

Female voice: "Leve 8 quarantined"

One more level to go thought the minister. A cracking sound coming from the windows reached their ears. The windows had white marks all over them and they were spreading like an expanding web.

"Holly Merlin, what in the name of magic is that?" asked Arik pushing himself away, crawling on the floor in fear.

"Stay away, it's probably going to break" said the minister, using his desk as a shield from the expected shards.

Female voice: "Level 9 quarantined. Alpha protocol in effect", and she kept repeating the last sentence over and over in a muffled out voice.

The crackling of the windows ceased as level 9 was quarantined.

"You think we are safe now?"

"Probably overstating it, Arik. Be ready to defend yourself. All those people down there didn't die by themselves"

Female voice: "WARNING"

A slow tremor shook the office, knocking down few of the books, pens and papers. Arik slowly got up and they both did their best to make out everything they could through the cracked glass, still not ready to leave the office.

Female voice: "Quarantine breach on Level 9! Dimension collapse! Quarantine breach detected on levels 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1! Multiple dimensional ruptures detected!"

The windows began shaking horrifyingly.

"PROTEGO" the minister shouted, casting a silver shield between them and the glass. Sure enough the windows broke into a million shards heading their way but were promptly blocked by the shielding spell.

"Sir. Kingsley. It's been a pleasure working with you"

"Arik, what are you..?"

But it was too late. Arik had made a run for it and gone past the office door into the corridor. The minister couldn't hear his running footsteps. It was as if he had stopped dead in his tracks and he expected the worst.

But then he made his appearance again in the door frame and walked back in slowly, looking down.

"Arik? What's wrong? Is there anything out there?"

As Arik raised his head the purple quarantine lights went off and darkness overcame the office. The minister could only distinguish Arik's wand hand going up and pointing at him.

Female voice: "WARNING"

"Avada.."

Female voice: "QUARANTINE FAILURE!"

"Kedavra"


End file.
